Another batch of new charter schools has approval to open in Iowa

Plans for six new charter schools were approved by the Iowa State Board of Education Thursday.

Charter schools receive enrollment-based funding from the state, like traditional public schools. They have grown in number since a 2021 law allowed organizations without ties to local public systems to open schools.

With the latest approvals, a total of 15 new charter schools have been approved since the law changed.

Among the six schools granted approval this week, three are set to open in Davenport. They will be the first charter schools to open in that city.

One is a new location for Horizon Science Academy, which opened a charter school in Des Moines in 2023. Horizon’s Davenport location is expected to begin operating next fall in the former Johnson Elementary building, with around 200 students in grades K-6. Eventually, it is planned to grow into a K-12 school, with more than 600 students.

Davenport Prep is a charter middle and high school supported by the nonprofit Opportunity Education, which was founded by billionaire Joe Ricketts. Chief of Schools James Troupis told board members that the organization emphasizes student engagement, which is measured and tracked daily.

“We’re used to taking attendance, but showing up is just stopping at the stop sign,” Troupis said. “The real question is, did you go further than that? So we also measure student engagement in every class, every day, which gives us a dashboard view of 'Are we delivering on that promise for families?'”

Davenport Prep will open in the fall of 2026, initially for grades six and nine. The same group is set to open schools in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids in the fall of 2025.

Great Oaks High School and Career Center is the third charter school approved for Davenport. It will be backed by Ohio-based Oakmont Education, which focuses on bringing students who have dropped out back into the classroom to help them get into careers. The schools look to appeal to students by putting them on projects that have a purpose.

“Whether it’s using 3D printing for making medical prosthetics, or building the house for Habitat for Humanity, now what they’re doing matters,” said Jerry Farley, Oakmont Education's director of career technical education.

Oakmont opened a school this year on the north side of Des Moines and also was approved Thursday to open a second location in south Des Moines.

Here are some details on the plans for new charter schools:

Davenport Prep

• Planned to open for the 2026-2027 school year for sixth and ninth grade. Enrollment would eventually reach around 800 students in grades 6-12.
• Founders said the school will prioritize student engagement and “personalized, skill-based instruction.”
• It is backed by Opportunity Education, a nonprofit founded by Joe Ricketts that operates private schools in Omaha, Nebraska and Santa Rosa, Calif. The group is also opening charter schools in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids next year.

Red Barn Schoolhouse - Crescent

• Planned to open for the 2025-2026 school year, beginning with around 40 students in grades K-3 and growing to around 80 students K-5 within five years.
• School organizers say they will emphasize nature-based learning. Students will spend as much time outdoors as possible for all classes.
• The Crescent Community School Alliance came up with plans for the charter school after their local public elementary school, which was part of the Council Bluffs school district, closed in 2023.

Distinctive Innovation Academy - Des Moines

• Planned to open for the 2026-2027 school year. At full enrollment, around 450 students would attend the K-8 school.
• The school is planned for south Des Moines and will focus on closing achievement gaps through “strong relationship-building, student-well being and joy, and challenging curriculum.”
• The charter was proposed by Distinctive Schools, a charter management organization that operates eight charter schools in Chicago.

Great Oaks High School and Career Center - South Des Moines and Davenport

• Both the Davenport and south Des Moines locations would open for the 2026-2027 school year. Each location is planned to enroll around 325 students at full capacity.
• The schools are designed to provide dropout recovery for students who are 16-21 years old. Students are involved in career training, and alternate weeks between field work and class work.
• The schools are backed by Oakmont Education, an Ohio-based charter school organization that opened a Great Oaks school in north Des Moines in 2024.

Horizon Science Academy Davenport

• Planned to open for the 2025-2026 school year for around 200 students in grades K-6, expanding over time to more than 600 students K-12.
• The school’s curriculum is focused on “STEM and college preparation.”
• It is backed by the Illinois-based charter management organization, Concept Schools, which operates 35 charter schools across seven states, including one in Des Moines that opened in 2023.